My foray into the world of sports betting was as a punter, primarily following the ups and downs (well, mostly downs…) of my local team as they battled against the ever-present threat of relegation. Over time, I began to become more and more interested in the ins and outs of various strategies and became adept at spotting a good operator.
My day job was, at the time, writing and editing for a local newspaper, so turning my professional skills to my interest in sports betting followed naturally. I started writing about sports betting as a hobby initially with my own blog, analysing odds and providing betting tips where I thought I could find value. Eventually, I was headhunted to write the same content for a betting firm, which resulted in me leaving my local paper job behind and turning my professional interests solely to sports betting writing by 2017. Since then, I have been proud of the body of work I have been able to produce.
Using my interest in all aspects of the sports and gambling world to guide me, I now write for Betting.net, compiling operator reviews, bonus reviews, and sharing the tips and tricks across our various sports betting guides. When I’m not at my keyboard, I am an avid rock climber, with an ultimate goal of eventually ascending the Seven Peaks — if I can fit it in between penning the latest bookmaker review, that is!
Baseball Betting Strategies
For years, we at Betting.net have helped sports bettors navigate through the betting universe and acquire enough knowledge to consistently place accurate bets. If you’re looking for some proven strategies for baseball, our team of experts carefully put together this article for you.
Sure, you can start betting on baseball with little to no knowledge of how to do it properly. But read through our basic strategies for baseball, and you’ll be more likely to stand a better chance at landing a winning bet. Our guide goes deeper into the types of bets you can place and what professional punters do to win more baseball bets than novices.
Laying out all the baseball betting basics – The foundations of baseball betting
Baseball is fast gaining popularity beyond as a sport outside the US. Back at home, betting on the sport has become a lucrative industry that has attracted multitudes of bookies. As such, events like the Major League Baseball, World Series, World Baseball Classics, and the Baseball World Cup are estimated to rake in millions in bets. So, if you’re an upcoming baseball bettor, you’re in luck. We’ve taken the time to document the best sports betting strategies suited to baseball betting, as well as everything you need to know about the sport.
Baseball betting comes in various forms, with moneyline being the standard bet. Before you put your money on the line, you’ll need to understand basic concepts, such as how odds work and how you can make accurate predictions. As with any other gambling opportunity, baseball betting requires you to correctly predict a variety of outcomes of a game, tournament, or league event.
How much you wager and how much you stand to win is determined by the odds that bookies set. It’s also vital to learn about bankroll management, how to pick the best bookmaker for your needs, and all the options available to you as a bettor. With the basics out of the way, let’s take a close look at the winning strategies for baseball gambling.
What baseball outcomes can you bet on? – The most popular bet types in baseball
As the temperature rises and the weather heats up, it’s time for baseball teams to hit the field for some adrenaline-packed action. To get on the fun and monetize your favorite pastime, you’ll need to browse through and brush up on how sportsbook betting lines for baseball work.
The more knowledge you have under your belt, the more likely your chances of having fun and winning. On this note, let’s explore some of the most popular baseball bets available to you.
Moneyline
One of the most popular bets that make up first-time bettors’ basic strategies for baseball is the moneyline. New bettors are often unfamiliar with the territory, so a straightforward bet provides a good chance to hit the home run. With moneyline bets, you only need to choose the winning team. Typically, there is a favorite that is viewed as having higher chances to win and an underdog which is the opposite. The favorite requires higher financial investment and has lower profit margins compared to the underdog.
Runline
An alternative to moneyline bets is runline. Instead of risking large sums of money betting on favorites under moneyline, you can use a lot less with the runline option. In this case, the bettor chooses whether the favorite will win by a predetermined number of runs, or the underdog will maintain the game within the same number. Within the same rules, if the underdog wins outright or faces a loss with just a single run, you win. Note that Runline bets are ideally -1.5 or +1.5.
Prop bets
Proposition bets allow you to bet on a specific occurrence within the overall event. Proposition bets are typically available on things that don’t affect the overall outcome of the game. Instead, great importance is placed on the details of the match.
Prop bets include placing a wager on which team scores first or total runs scored within a specific period. You can also bet on individual players, like who’ll have more bases, which pitcher will record more strikeouts, or how many strikeouts a popular player will get. Prop betting is one of the strategies for baseball used by experienced recreational bettors who are familiar with the teams involved and individual players.
Over/Under
Considered the best baseball betting strategy for seasoned bettors, you’ll need to establish how over under bets work for baseball if you’re not familiar with this betting opportunity. The bookmaker will set a total for each game, and you’ll be expected to bet on whether both teams will go over or under the set limit. Over/Under bets only apply when all nine innings are played. If the match is cut short due to bad weather or any other reason, the bet doesn’t count even if you make a correct prediction.
Futures
Future baseball betting strategies allow you to place a wager on an upcoming event. For example, you can wager on the next season or a major event like the MLB World Series. These types of betting strategies for baseball don’t apply to individual events but require you to predict which teams will win the entire league or tournament. For this reason, future bets are mostly ideal for seasoned baseball bettors.
The importance of identifying value – Take your bets further
Baseball betting is a risky adventure, and wagering on instinct only makes it worse. This is where it’s important to understand and be able to identify value bets. Value is used to find the betting edge, which in turn determines if each bet is worth your money and the side to bet on. Put simply this is when you find a bookie that’s offering higher payout rates on a bet than expected. Value is math sensitive, but understanding the concept doesn’t require a numbers wiz. Let’s simplify the concept a bit.
If you’re betting on a coin toss, the probability of winning is 50%. Ideally, a sportsbook should offer evens odds or better on the bet. However, you’ll usually find such a bet offering 0.9 odds or less. What this means is if the bet wins, you’ll get $90 from a $100 bet.
But if it loses, you’re down $100. So, if you’re right on half your bets, you’ll lose money in the long run. This is where value betting strategies for baseball come into play. Here, you analyze each bet and determine what you think the probability of each outcome is, then compare with the bookie’s odds. You could also incorporate an inplay betting strategy to place some potentially lucrative prop bets to offset potential losses from other bets. Of course, you’ll need to refine your baseball betting systems over time, but in the end, the process is worth it.
Tips to start winning more baseball bets – Expert advice from our team
Closely linked to the exhilaration of baseball betting is the desire to make a life-changing prediction. Whilst there have been a few individuals who’ve been lucky enough to make the headlines, most bettors can relate to the sinking feeling of losing their hard-earned money. Whether you’re an upcoming punter trying to figure out the ropes or a seasoned veteran who’s had enough of losing more bets than they win, here, you’ll find tried and tested strategies for baseball.
Avoid big favorites
It’s no secret that recreational bettors love favorites. Previous betting records reveal that punters are willing to bet any amount if it favors popular teams, even if it’s -200, -280, -150. As a strategic ploy to gain an advantage, bookies may capitalize on this trend and overprice popular teams. So, you’ll find that big teams like the Yankees, Cubs, and Dodgers are inflated. As a consequence, wins don’t pay out as much as they should. On the other hand, a loss will most likely crush your bankroll. In layman’s terms, the risk of betting on favorites is sometimes not worth the effort. So, avoid favorites and go for a team with high payout rates instead.
Know the weather
Another common mistake made by novice bettors is to overlook the weather. When it comes to outdoor sports, the weather greatly influences the outcome of the match. Let’s say the match is on a sunny day, chances are they will have higher score margins. Less humid weather allows the ball to travel further due to decreased friction in motion.
The opposite applies to cold weather conditions where the air is denser. On the same note, if there are heavy winds towards the infield, outcome margins are most likely to be far less than on a calm day. Most importantly, the game can easily turn in favor of the underdog. Our advice for the best baseball betting strategy – look up the weather pattern on the day of the match to avoid making a flawed prediction. Also, find out how each team has previously performed in varied weather conditions.
Shop for the best odds
The most effective strategies for baseball bets emphasize the need to actively shop and compare numbers before making a commitment. In the always-expanding world of sports betting, baseball betting sites are growing at an exponential rate that it’s becoming difficult to shop for the best odds.
Thanks to the resourceful team behind Betting.net, you can easily identify bookmakers with the best numbers. Choose a few of the listed bookmakers and place multiple bets across different sites. The immediate results of getting the best odds include diminished losses and increased payouts. For example, if one site offers + 130 while another has +135, you’ll be able to score an extra $5.
Manage your bankroll
The key to successful strategies for baseball is discipline. It’s easy to get carried away by the alluring effect of a potentially big payout, yet it means nothing if your bet doesn’t come in. As such, acknowledge the value of small wins and avoid getting caught up in huge chases. You’ll only end up crippling your bankroll.
Rather aim for manageable bets and let your wins accumulate into a huge sum of money over time. It’s advisable to have a daily budget that amounts to 1% to 5% of your overall bankroll. The lowest amount is reserved for conservative bets and the maximum for aggressive matches.
Bet against the public
With bookmakers constantly finding ways to take advantage of public bias, the best strategies for baseball include recognizing this pattern and using it to your benefit. Recreational bettors bet on instinct, hence, tend to lose. Moreover, most fall victim to recency bias and bet on the team that recently hit a home run. By betting against the public, you take advantage of the inflated numbers and increase your odds of winning big when you win.
Focus on divisional underdogs
Whether you’re a professional bettor or this is your first bet, the greatest strategies for baseball require detailed research and focus. Divisional teams play more often, which evens out the playing field in favor of the underdog. Your level of familiarity with the divisional teams may mean the difference between winning or losing. Find out how each team performs on its home ground or visitor’s turf. Keep in mind that more runs translate to more variance and this aids the underdog.
Conclusion –
Seasoned bettors can attest to the pain of losing more than their fair share in baseball games. Hence the need for informed strategies for baseball. Without a well-thought-out strategy, not only are you likely to lose more often, but you also risk crippling your bankroll. In this travel manual, we’ve covered everything from the basics to different types of bets and the top strategies for baseball. You’ll also find the necessary tools to understand value baseball betting systems. For more information to help you with your betting travels, keep checking out our Betting.net guides.
Baseball betting is a high-risk adventure, and you cannot depend on instinct to strike it lucky. To win, it’s advisable to find a strategy that best suits your needs. Given this, we have narrowed down the most profitable strategies for baseball for both beginners and seasoned punters.
💰 How often do favorites win in baseball?
Betting on favorites is a bit tricky, considering the increased risk and low-profit margins associated with such a wager. However, if you’re looking to make some profit, you should understand the factors that affect overall baseball outcomes. Most importantly, you should have a rough idea of how often favorites hit the home run. In our guides, you’ll find relevant strategies for baseball bets.
🧢 What is the easiest type of baseball bet?
With regards to the world of baseball betting, the term ‘easy’ doesn’t exist. Using a Pick 3 betting strategy is not difficult, but picking the right horses is, as any horse bettor will tell you! Baseball betting is subjective and so, what’s easy for you may not be as easy for the next person. That’s why we’ve broken down various types of bets according to different personas. Read through our guides, find out the types of bets, and choose the one that best suits your requirements.
